Automobile structure.



A. P. BRUSH. AUTOMOBILE STRUCTURE. APPLICATION FILED JAN; 12, 1910.

Patented Mar-31,1914

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

LQQLM. L

a WM A. P. BRUSH.

AUTOMOBILE STRUCTURE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.12, 1910.

LGQLM i Patented Mar.31,1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

M'in ego-e A. P. BRUSH-H AUTOMOBILE STRUCTURE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 12, 1910.

Patented Mar. 31, 1914.

A. P. BRUSH.

AUTOMOBILE STRUCTURE. APPLICATION FILED AN. 12, 1910.

Patented Mar. 31, 1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

LQQLQIL far inventor.

WQM.

ALAN$ON 1?. BRUSH, 0F FLINT, MICHIGAN.

aurononrnn srnuo'runn;

- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 31, Jllllld.

Application filed January 12, 1910. Serial Ito. 537,626.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, ALANson P. BnUsI-r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Flint, in the county of Genesee and State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Automobile Structures, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of this invention is to so support a transmission control unit (which includes the clutch. mechanism, the change speed mechanism and a case inclosing these two mechanisms) in operative relation to the power shaft and propeller shaft. of a motor car that said unit may be easily taken from and replaced in operative position whenever occasion requires.

The. invention as embodied in the best specific form known to me is shown in the accompanying drawings, and is hereinafter described, and is carefully defined in the appended claims.

in the drawing, Figure 1 is aside elevation, partly broken away and sectioned of so much of a motor car as is necessary to disclose the present invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the mechanism shown in Fig. '1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view in the plane of line 33 on Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a sectional view in the plane of line l d on Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is a sectional view in the plane of line 55 on Fig. l. Fig. 6 is a central vertical sectional view through the transmission control unit. Fig. 7 'is a plan View of the motor control unit with thecap plate at one end of the case broken away, and with the shifting arms and locking arms of the change speedmechanism sectioned and the shaft for operating said arms broken away.

iii the drawing, A A represent the two side members of the chassis and a one of the cross members thereof;

B represents the power shaft. It is preferably the crank shaft of the engine, but may be any shaft driven by the engine.

C represents the fly wheel which is keyed to the power shaft B, so that, to all intents and purposes, in so far as concerns this in vention, it is apart of it.

-D represents the so-called propeller shaft,that is to say, the shaft which at its rear end drives the so-called difierential mechanism of the rear axle, and at its front end has an operative connection with the terminal shaft of the change speed mechanism. In the construction shown the front end of this shaft is supported through its connection with the control mechanism; and 1t must be assumed that'the rear endl of the shaft is suitably mounted in the usual manner in order that it may do workfor which it is provided. The shaft B must be supported in bear- 1ngs fixed to the'chassis frame. If the shaft B be the crank shaft of the engine, said shaft will be mounted in the usual way in the engine crank case which is fixed to said frame.

E represents the control unit case which may be, as shown, a built-up structure havmg removable cap plates 6, 6 located respectively over the clutch mechanism, and the change speed mechanism,both of which mechanisms are mounted in said casing. In

so far as the present invention is concerned, itis notmaterial what form of clutch mechanism shall be employed, or what form of change speed gearing shall be employed. It is only essential that the initial member of the clutch mechanism shall be a rotatable shaft as F, suitably mounted in the casing and projecting from the front end thereof; and that the terminal shaft J of the change speed mechanism shall be axially alined with the initial member of the clutch mechanism and shall be mounted in suitable bearings in the case and shall project from the rear end thereof. This control'unit must be supported between the power shaft and propeller shaft in such manner that motion may be transmitted-effectively at all times from the power shaft to the propeller shaft through the mechanism of the control unit. In order that this may be done according'to this im vention, it is essential that the control unit shall have supports for its front and rear. ends, which supports shall be coaxial with the initial member of the clutch mechanism and the terminal member'of the speed changing mechanism, and that there shall be a third supporting point at one side of the axial line of the front and rear sup orts. In order to avoidthe possibility 0' any strains due th road distortions ormanufacturing variations, the front and rear. supports are such as to permit the control'unit to turn slightly about the axial line of said sup ports and to move slightly endwise, and to have a slight universal movement relative to said supports; and the third support must be such as permits a slight universal and tele-,'

rod

scoping movement therein of the part which projects into the supporting member from the control unit. .Aiming at. a simple but practical embodiment of this invention, the supports may be constructed as followsrThe front end of the initial clutch member, a. e. shaft F, has keyed to it a collar f which has some angular conformation in cross section,

fo-rexainple, hexagonal, and has slightly.

crowned sides. This collar telescopes loosely into a similar shaped socket g in the hub of a cap G, which is bolted to the rear end of the fly wheel. This support is suchthat the front end of the control unit is supported through a simple form of universal joint by the power shaft; and it is evident that when said power shaft B is rotated the shaft F will likewise be rotated at the same speed.

The rear end of the case has a cylindrical tubular trunnion e which is concentric with the terminal shaft J of the speed changing mechanism. This trunnion e enters somewhat loosely a cylindrical hole in a bracket H which is fixed to the cross member a of the chassis; and thereby the rear end of the control unit is supported. It is evident that when the shaft B is rotated the shaft F will likewise be rotated at like speed. lltv is also evident that the front end of the control unit is upheld by the described engagement of shaft F with shaft B.

-'The connection between the front end of the propeller shaft and the rear end of the terminal shaft J of the control unit should be through a suitable universal joint, a familiarv form of which is shown in Fig. 1. This universal joint includes a housing K, the hub. of which is keyed to the. shaft 'J.

- This housing has diametrically opposed lonthe control case in order to provide a bearing for shaft M adjacent to the side member; of the chassis. The primary function of this shaft M is'to operate the change speed mechanism. This shaft is to be shifted endwise so as to selectively engage different mechanisms for shifting difierent gears, which are parts of the; change speed mechanism; and it is to be rocked to move the selected shif ing mechanism in the required direction. An operating lever P is pivoted to the end I of this shaft one. substantially horizontal pivot and passes between two guide bars 0, YO placed some distance above the shaft M. By swinging thefupper end of this lever outward or inward the lever will turn on one of pulled forward to withdraw the trunnion e from the bracket H: To replace the control unit these operations are, reversed.

' llt is obviously only necessary to loosen the screws m in order to permit the endwise withdrawal of shaft M out of the case, so as to permit the removal of the control unit,-as before described.

Any suitable clutch and change speed mechanism and selective operating mechanism may be employed, provided t. ey are capable of being mounted in the case and of forming with it a control unit having the characteristics required to enable it to em ter into and form aipartof the combinations set forth in the claims. v

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In an automobile structure, the combination with the chassis frame, the power shaft, and the propeller shaft, of a transmission control unit comprising a case and clutch and change speed mechanisms therein, of supports for the front and rear ends of said unit, which supports are axially alined and permit said control unit to turn slightly about the axis of said supports and to move slightly endwise therein and to have a slight'universal movement therein, and a third support consisting of a shaft projecting laterally from the control unit, and passing loosely. through a hole in one of the side members of the chassis frame, and operative connections between the control unit and the power and propeller shafts.

2. In an automobile structure, the combination with the chassis frame, the power' shaft, and propeller shaft, of a transmission control unit which includes a case and clutch and speed changing mechanisms mounted therein, the initial shaft of said clutch mechanism having a telescoping torque transmitting engagement with said power shaft, and the case having at its rear.

"longitudinal axis.

too

its

3. In anautomobile structure, the combi nation with the chassis frame, the power shaft, and propeller shaft, of a transmission control unit which includes a case and clutch and speed changing mechanisms mounted therein, the initial shaft of said clutch mechanism having a telescoping torque transmitting engagement with said power shaft, and the case having at its rear end a coaxial tubular trunnion, a bracket fixed to the automobile frame-in which said trunnion is mounted, a universal joint connection between the terminal shaft of the change speed mechanism and the propeller shaft, a shaft mounted in said case and extending laterally therefrom and passing through one of the side members of the frame.

4. In an automobile structure, the combi nation with the chassis frame, the power shaft and propeller shaft, of a transmis sion control unit which includes a case and clutch and speed changing mechanisms therein, the projecting front end of the ini tial shaft of the clutch mechanism being angular in cross section, a plate which is removably connected to the rear end of the.

power shaft and contains a longitudinal angular recess which receives the angular front end of the initial shaft, means coaxial with the initial shaft for supporting the rear end of the transmission unit case, and a connection between the side of said transmission unit and the chassis frame.

- In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ALANSON P. BRUSH.

Witnesses:

H. R. SULLIVAN, E. L. Tmms'ron. 

